Demons and Death
by F8th
Summary: Harben Deathchill, a Death Knight, is drafted into the test run of a goblin spacecraft and crash-lands on an unknown planet. When he meets someone who is more of a monster than he is, he begins feeling an emotion long thought dead: sympathy.
1. Chapter 1

_Junior Technician 3rd__ Grade, Harben Deathchill,_

_Wonderful news! Our ever-diligent goblins have had a breakthrough with the X-52 Nether-Rocket. Our top engineers have successfully launched the first manned rocket into the Great Dark. You're probably thinking, "So? This doesn't affect me." Well, that's not true._

_Besides the giant leap for goblin-kind (hmm, that's good) we have made, we have constructed the X-53 Nether-Rocket. It is designed with the purpose of discovering and landing on new worlds, and you have been selected to act as protection for the brave souls who will be piloting it against the new world's dangers. Now you're probably thinking, "What if I don't want to be a part of this?"._

_I thought of that, and have a contract, with your signature on it, that states that you are to aid us in any capacity B.O.O.M requires of you. We require a guard, and you are it. Please arrive in Area 52 in a week to attend the launch._

_Sincerely, Rocket-Chief Fuselage_

"Damn goblins," Harben Deathchill growled as he crumpled up the letter he had just received, "Contract my ass! They probably drew that up at the last minute and faked my signature. Rotmaw, get in here!" There was a growl outside of the room he had rented, and the door flew open. "Master want Rotmaw?" the ghoul babbled. "Eat this." he threw the paper ball at the ghoul, who happily gobbled it down. "Thank you, Master." _I have more important things to do than risk exploding in some goblin's contraption. I don't give two coppers about dying, it would be pleasant in fact, but I prefer the idea of dying in battle against Arthas over dying as a result of a someone's mad scheme. Regardless, I have no choice if I want to maintain my reputation. If I don't report for that launch, those idiots will spread word that a Death Knight was scared of something as mundane as flying, and I will __**not**__ be known as a coward for __**any**__ reason. _He stood and grabbed PlagueRend "Rotmaw, grab my pack. We are heading out."

_The day of the launch,_

"I really should kill you, Fuselage." growled Harben. "Now now, you wouldn't be here if you hadn't signed that contract. Don't blame me for something you did. Look at it like this; you are about to embark on a journey of legendary proportions. Don't adventurers like you live for this sort of thing?" "_I_ don't live for adventure; I live for vengeance, and if I die on this mad venture, I will come back from the grave, again, and kill you." The goblin was remarkably unintimidated, "Then don't die so you don't have to. Now, get in the X-53. It's almost time for liftoff." Harben grumbled and stepped into the slightly undersized rocket. Rotmaw's parts were stuffed into a sack to save space, but Harben would be able to bring him back easily _if_ they landed and didn't explode in the process. _**"3..." **__If I live through this, I swear I will never doubt goblins again.__** "2..." **__I'm doomed. This is how fate decided to end my unlife. __**"1... LIFTOFF!"**_The rocket shuddered and a massive explosion forced the vessel upward, into the Great Dark Beyond

_Day 1 of the X-53's flight,_

_We've made it into the Great Dark Beyond. The goblins piloting this thing are actually rather sociable for insane inventors. They said that the main reason I was chosen for this mission was that I didn't need to eat, sleep, or breathe since food and oxygen were in short supply. How they can expect to survive for an extended period of time is beyond me…_

_Day 27 of the X-53's flight,_

_The goblins are less chatty than before. I think it is because they can't stand each other anymore. While the silence is a pleasing change, it also makes the long hours inside this ship unbearably tedious. I'm tempted to raise Rotmaw just to have something to beat up; I would use the goblins, but I need them to pilot this thing…_

_Day 130 of the X-53's flight,_

_Even serving Arthas would be preferable to this torment! I sit here day in and day out, doing nothing but staring out the window. I've killed Rotmaw repeatedly just to vent my frustration. I swear if those one of those goblins even breathes too loudly…_

_Day 236 of the X-53's flight,_

_I'm going mad! I know because those goblins' ghosts haunt me. They cackle as they witness my suffering within this metal tomb. Rotmaw is the new pilot, and he claims he knows where he's going! He knows nothing!_

_Later that same day…_

"Master! Rotmaw sees something!" "WHAT IS IT?" Harben snapped. He had no patience for the soon-to-be-dead-again ghoul. "A giant ball with water, Master." Harben shot straight up from where he was laying. "A planet? Do you mean it? If you are lying, I'll kill you again!" "Rotmaw doesn't lie, Master!" He stared out the small circle of glass that was his window and saw the ghoul hadn't lied. There was another world before them! What luck that they were drifting towards it! Harben began to thank every divine power that could possibly exist in the universe. _By the Light, those goblins were right! There were other worlds out here! If Rotmaw hadn't eaten their corpses, I'd raise them just to thank them!_

Long-silent alarms began sounding as they neared the planet. Red warning lights flashed and a electronic voice suggested strapping in to prepare for the landing. Harben rushed to comply, lest the ship decide to change direction and damn him to the cold emptiness of the Great Dark Beyond again. The ship began to rumble as they began entry into the planet's atmosphere. The ship's vibrations became shudders, which became violent tremors as they neared the ground. The rocket threatened to explode from the intense heat of entry, and Harben began to suspect he would die before standing on land again.

When the ship crashed, it exploded, sending Rotmaw into oblivion again, and Harben into a tree. The last thing he saw before giving into unconsciousness was a beautiful lake.

_What in the world was that? _Raki thought as an explosion rang out through the trees. "Hey Clare, shouldn't we see what that sound was?" Clare had obviously heard the noise too, but was less interested in it than he was, "It wasn't a Yoma, so it isn't my business. If you want to find out what caused that explosion, you can do so yourself. I will remain here until morning either way." _It is a good thing we just settled down for the night. _he mused as he set off in the direction of the noise. What he found surprised him, to say the least. A man was laying by a tree that had nearly broken in two from some impact, probably one the man had made, shards of metal were scattered around a spot of blackened earth, and various half-decomposed body parts were scattered about the site. _What happened here?_

Raki ran back to their camp, "Clare, there's someone over there. I think he was in the middle of that explosion and got hurt pretty badly! Come see!" Clare reluctantly stood up and followed her charge to the site of the explosion. Raki ran over to the unconscious man and kneeled in front of him, "See this guy must be hurt pretty badly. Oh my god! He's not breathing!" Clare kneeled next to the stranger and examined him briefly. He was young, maybe thirty at most, but his hair was like snow. He was obviously a warrior, no one else would be in full armor and he had a massive sword in a death grip. She removed one of his gauntlets and gripped his wrist for a moment. "He has no pulse. Whoever this man was, he's dead now." Raki looked distraught, "We should at least bury him, right Clare?"

Harben became aware of two things as he returned to the world of the living. One he was alive, and, two, there was someone, no, two someones, beside him. "… bury him, right Clare?" The fact that he could understand the voice that he had woken to hear didn't register so much as the fact that he was going to be buried if he didn't do something. His eyes shot open, making the young man in front of him jump backwards. "He's alive!" Harben groaned as his broken bones made themselves known, "I am, in a sense," his hollow voice echoed in the small clearing the X-53 had made, "frankly I'm amazed that I am." He looked at the woman beside him and back at the boy, "Who are you two? I hardly expected to see humans here of all places."

Saki and Clare stared at the not-dead man with different thoughts on their minds. Clare was interested in how a human, she could sense he wasn't a Yoma, could survive an explosion and subsequent collision with a tree and live, and Saki was disturbed by the man's glowing eyes and ghostly voice. Saki was the first to speak, "My name is Saki, and, actually, I'm human, and Clare is a Claymore. I'm surprised you didn't recognize her." "A Claymore?" Harben turned his head towards Clare, "I've never heard of a race being named after a weapon. This _must_ be another world." He coughed up some blood, "I think I've broken all of my ribs, if not every bone in my upper body."

Clare examined the man from head to toe, "You must be in considerable pain. How a human could survive such injuries, and be conscious, escapes me." Harben choked out a laugh, coughing up some more blood as he did so, "That's the thing you see, Miss Clare, I'm not exactly alive. I've been dead for a few years now." He forced himself into a kneeling position and used Plaguerend as an improvised cane to lift himself the rest of the way. "Can I ask you two a favor? Do you see those body parts scattered her and there? Gather them up for me would you?" Saki made a face that suggested he'd rather eat mud, but began gathering the parts anyway. Clare simply watched as he went about the morbid task. It took only a few minutes, and Saki nearly threw up as he dropped them in front of Harben. "I think that's all of them. Excuse me!" He ran off, likely to vomit.

Harben walked unsteadily to the rotting mound and held his hand over it. Dark energies danced around it, and a vaguely humanoid creature formed from the parts. Clare watched the display intently, fascinated by what was happening before her. It was rare that she was interested in anything but her duty, but this was beyond strange. As the creature took stock of its surroundings, it stared at the man they had found and seemed overjoyed to see him. "Master! Rotmaw and Master are alive!" The man frowned, "Sorry Rotmaw, but you are going to die for good this time." He lashed out and grabbed the creature's forehead. With a growl, it exploded in a blast of sickly green light. The man seemed revitalized, and it quickly occurred to Clare what he had done. "You used that thing's lifeforce to restore your own." "I did. It is no great loss though. When I find another suitable corpse, I'll raise another ghoul."

Saki returned to find the man standing much straighter and holding his sword on his shoulder. "Where are those… _things_ you had me collect?" Harben turned to him, his glowing eyes unnerving him slightly, "I used them to great effect. My thanks for the aid." "Since we have found the source of that noise and taken care of its victim, we should go." Clare suddenly said. Harben coughed, "I'm sorry to ask you this, but might I accompany you to the nearest town? I am unfamiliar, to say the least, with the area, and I'd rather not wander aimlessly through the countryside. "That'd be okay, right Clare?" Clare sighed in resignation, "I see no harm in it, but we can't feed you, so you'll have to catch your own meals." Harben chuckled, "I don't eat, so I think I'll manage." She raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't comment, "Our camp is this way."

When they arrived back at their camp, Clare settled back against her sword. "That's the only way to sleep, eh? So you're a warrior, Clare, we should spar in the morning then. A little fight in the morning is always nice." Clare stared at him flatly, "You wouldn't be able to cross swords with me. Humans can't compete with my kind." He shrugged, "Humor me." "Very well. Tomorrow." She shut her eyes and promptly fell asleep and Saki followed suit. Harben just sat next to a tree and stared into their fire.


	2. Chapter 2

Morning arrived all too soon. While Saki went about cooking breakfast, Harben and Clare faced off. Neither seemed willing to make the first move.

Their companion was staring her down, his face betraying no emotion or thought, but when she was about to attack, the luminescent orbs that were his eyes flared and a familiar yet alien aura began emitting from him. _I could swear he is surrounded by Yoki, yet the energy around him is… different. The same chaotic waves of energy are coming from this man, yet they feel almost… angry. _There was a subtle change in her opponent's demeanor to accompany the bizarre energy; his expression was less collected than before like he was harboring a powerful rage within himself. To Clare, this sparring match had become much more interesting.

Harben shook with the excitement a coming battle always created in him. The invigorating energies of the Unholy only fueled his exhilaration, but he knew what would happen if he remained under its influence for too long… The power of the Unholy is a volatile one, and is hard for many Death Knights to control for an extended period of time. It feeds off of the fury and hunger for battle inherent in them and forges it into increased speed and strength, but it also fuels those traits, making it a deadly game of balance. _This is just a little spar, so I don't think I'll lose control…_

Both opponents stared the other down, each sizing the other up. Harben, knowing his time was limited, attacked first. He slashed, stabbed, and almost tapped into Plaguerend's runes, but held the desire to infect Clare with Blood Plague in check. The suddenness and ferocity of his attack caught Clare off-guard, and she was forced to give ground. She always brought her sword up in time to block an incoming strike, but sometimes just barely. _His attacks are much like a Yoma's. They are wild yet disciplined strikes and leave little room for his opponent to make a move. Most Yoma disregard control in favor of power. Who is this man? _She was almost ready to yield when the temperature of the air around her opponent began dropping rapidly. It dropped so far that she could see his breath as it came out in strong breaths. "Let's stop for now Clare," he suddenly said, "if I go on much longer, I might forget this is a friendly fight."

Harben took a few more deep breaths to calm himself and put a hand out, "And you said I couldn't match you." Clare ignored the proffered hand, "I didn't use any of my Yoki." she said matter of factly. Harben frowned in thought, _I can assume Yoki is her source of power then. _"Well, I didn't use my runic power, so we are even I suppose." "Hey, breakfast is ready!" Saki called. Clare wordlessly walked to their campfire. _She's as frigid as Amal'thazad on a good day. _He mused as he followed suit. Harben noted that Saki ate the largest portion by far, not to say he was overeating, in fact he was the only one to eat an appropriate amount of food for someone his age. Clare ate the smallest amounts of food she could, and Harben himself didn't even try to fill up on the smell. It was an odd sight. Was Clare starving herself for Saki's sake?

When the meal ended, Clare stood up and began walking in down the road, and Saki quickly moved to join her. Harben followed a short distance behind. The journey was boring, to say the least, but nowhere near the torture he had suffered in the X-53, and it was made more bearable when Saki slowed his pace so he was walking alongside him. "It just occurred to me that I don't even know your name. You know mine and Clare's, so let's make it even." Harben nodded, "It seems appropriate. I'll tell you now that my name isn't unusual for my kind, but it might surprise you a bit. My name, Saki, is Harben Deathchill." Saki let out half a laugh, "That's a rather intense surname. Who are your kind then?" "Remember when I said I've been dead for a few years? That wasn't figurative. I am a Death Knight, and I can't go into detail without having to explain our history, but suffice to say that we are the perfect soldiers since we don't require rest, food, and have superhuman strength coupled with an inability to feel pain." "You don't feel pain? You looked pretty sore when I found you." Harben tilted his head back in thought, "I'm dead, but my body still has its instincts and it reacts to pain the same way it would if I was alive."

They kept walking for some time and the sun eventually retreated below the horizon. Everyone went about their own way of settling down for the night. Clare stabbed her sword into the ground and leaned against it, Raki rolled out his bedroll, and Harben simply laid down on the grass.

"Hey, Saki." Harben called after a while. "Yeah? What do you want Harben?" Saki sat down beside him. "What can you tell me about these Claymores? You once mentioned Clare was one, but, aside from her strength, she seems human." Saki seemed surprised for a moment, "Well Claymores are warriors who were fused with Yoma." "Wait a moment. Now, what is a Yoma?" "Demons who eat people." Harben could feel some sadness in Saki's tone. "As I was saying, Claymores are fused with Yoma to take on their strength and speed, and gain a few other abilities. For example, they can sense the presence of Yoma. Claymores are often hired by towns to kill any Yoma that appear, in fact, they were created for that very purpose. They can tap into their Yoki, the energy of a Yoma, and use it to become stronger. The problem with becoming a Claymore is that it's a death sentence; you either die in battle or by becoming the thing you fight against by using too much Yoki." Harben's glowing eyes narrowed, "So, how do normal people react to them?" "Well, I'll let the title 'Silver-eyed Witches' speak for itself." A growl escaped Harben's lips, a sound made more intimidating by the ethereal quality of his voice, "So the populace sees them as monsters and tolerate their presence only because they slay other monsters?" Saki nodded sadly, "Yeah, but Clare isn't a monster. She took me in after she killed a Yoma who had been posing as my brother." Harben gave a knowing smile, "In my experience, monsters are equal parts cur and martyr. The layman sees the part of the monster that he fears, and that blinds him to what makes it noble."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: You may have noticed that my chapters have been getting shorter as the story progresses, and I apologize for this. Until things really begin heating up, I will have some difficulty extending the chapters and not be saying too much at once or just rambling. I know plenty of people would prefer longer chapters, heck I'm one of 'em, but that's how I write. Again, I apologize for any irritation this may cause.

_The same evening, a clearing a short distance from the camp_

"What do you want to say to me?" Harben asked seriously. Clare had approached him during his and Raki's conversation and pulled him away from it with considerable urgency; she obviously had something on her mind. "Why were you so insistent on fighting me?" Clare half-demanded. "Besides exercise?" Clare stared at him. "Alright… if you must know, it was to keep my hunger in check..." Whatever breath Harben had in him was forced out when Clare rammed him into a tree, pinning him, "I was right," she said coldly, "you are a Yoma. Did you think releasing Yoki right in front of me would go unnoticed?" Harben looked insulted, "I am no demon!" he retorted. "You must have heard Raki and I discussing Death Knights, right?" Clare nodded, not easing up on Harben's body, "If you would release me, I can explain my apparent similarity to Yoma." From the expression on her face, it was obvious Clare would prefer to kill him just to be safe, but she let him fall to the ground.

"My thanks, now this is going to take some time, so bear with me." Harben drew Plaguerend and laid it across his lap. "This sword is more than a weapon; my soul is bound within it. It is what condemns me to a life of undeath, and it also reminds me that I am an abomination, doomed to walk the land until I die in battle, but even that will be only a temporary respite since I will rise again when my blade calls me back." He paused and stared at Clare, trying to communicate the suffering he had seen. "Death Knights are born in war and baptized in blood. It is in our nature to seek combat. In fact, it is a need; if we do not feel the rush of battle, we feel pain that I cannot begin to describe. You did me a service when you agreed to duel me, my hunger was sated." Clare was surprised, to say the least, she had expected a half-baked tale coming from a Yoma trying to convince his executioner that he wasn't what he was, not this matter-of-fact explanation. "If you are not a Yoma, then why were you emanating Yoki during our fight?" Harben seemed puzzled on that point, but offered an explanation nonetheless, "Perhaps you were sensing my Unholy Presence. Did the supposed Yoki vanish towards the end of the fight?" She nodded, "It did." "Then that was it. It seems that the Unholy energies I was channeling were similar enough to Yoki that you were able to sense it."

Harben stood and shouldered Plaguerend, "If we are done with this interrogation, can we go back to the camp? Clare nodded, apparently still hesitant to trust him.

_Back in Azeroth, more specifically, The Ebon Hold. About 100 days into Harben's flight_

"Knight Deathchill is officially MIA," Thassarian announced to the gathered officers of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, "He has not reported in in nearly four months. Up until this point, it was believed he was participating in an experiment in Area 52 in Netherstorm, but I contacted the Goblin heading it, Rocket-Chief Fuselage, and he reports that Knight Deathchill has not been heard from since this experiment. On a related note, the Rocket-Chief refused to divulge what this experiment entailed. We all know that Knight Deathchill is one of our finest Death Knights, and will be invaluable when we finally assault Icecrown. It is my proposal that we send a small force to discover his whereabouts and render aid if needed." Koltira Deathweaver shook his head dismissively, "We are aware of Knight Deathchill's strength and military value. We all fought beside him during the Battle at Light's Hope, but I believe risking _more _soldiers on a retrieval mission is unacceptable."

"I agree with Koltira," said Lord Thorval, "Our current priority is building up our presence in Icecrown and sending men out would only weaken our defenses of the Shadow Vault." Amal'thazad turned his skeletal head to Lord Thorval, "Would you rather certainly lose someone who _Arthas _thought was powerful back when we were serving him, and has only grown stronger, or possibly lose a couple of Initiates who can barely control their Runeblades?" "I am not, nor was I, a gambling man, Amal'thazad, and I can not see this plan having any immediate benefits." "You obviously don't understand what the Lich is saying, Thorval," groaned Lady Alistra, "We have little to lose and everything to gain. I support Thassarian's proposal completely." Everyone, even Thassarian, shot her a look that told her they knew why she supported his proposal. The Unholy Mistress Alistra was known to favor her disciples, granted by "favor" it was meant "treat marginally less harshly," and she enjoyed arguing with Thorval, The Lord of Blood, to no end.

"It does not matter what you think," Highlord Mograine finally said, he had been entirely silent during Thassarian's report and the following debate, and had finally made his decision, "What matters is my verdict on the matter, and, for my part, I believe Lady Alistra summed up my reasoning perfectly. I will sanction this mission on the condition that Thassarian present the Knights he plans to send to me for inspection. I am willing to risk Knights on this, but, like Lord Thorval said, we cannot afford to compromise our strength. Koltira, I want you to contact Rocket-Chief Fuselage and arrange for whatever transport may be necessary. Meeting dismissed." Everyone stood, saluted the Highlord and went about their business.

Author's Note: Thanks to those who reviewed the first two chapters. There aren't many of you, but it is very encouraging to see people interested in what I write.


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